Three men sought after armed robbery on MTA bus in Baltimore

The MTA police are seeking the identity of these three suspects. (Handout photo courtesy Maryland Transit Administration)

Kevin Rector, The Baltimore Sun

After stealing a fellow rider's phone on a Maryland Transit Administration bus in Baltimore this summer, three men forced the man to exit the bus and withdraw cash from an ATM in order to get the phone back, according to MTA Police.

Now, police are asking for the public's help identifying the three men they believe were involved in the armed robbery, in which a gun and a knife were displayed to intimidate the victim.

The robbery occurred about 5:55 p.m. on Aug. 4, after the victim boarded a No. 40 bus in Woodlawn and began riding it into the city, police said this week.

At the 1st Mariner Arena, three men boarded the bus, and one asked the victim "if he could use his phone to call his grandmother," said Paul Shepard, a MTA spokesman.

The victim obliged. The suspect then refused to return the phone, and showed the victim a gun in his waistband, Shepard said. Another suspect revealed he had a knife.

The three suspects and the victim then got off the bus in the 100 block of Potomac Avenue, near Patterson Park, where the victim withdrew money from an ATM and paid it to the suspects in order to get his phone back, Shepard said.

The amount of money was not disclosed.

Police have been investigating the incident since August, but have been unable to identify the suspects. They are now hoping the public will help identify three men whose images were captured on a bus surveillance camera around the time of the incident, Shepard said.

Anyone with information is asked to call police detectives at 410-454-1639 or the MTA Police 24-hour hotline at 410-454-7720.